Anyone else have anxiety around breathing? I panic over feeling like I can't breath and I am always monitoring my breathing. I alway worry that I might get a cold and then can't breath. So I am afraid to have panic attacks because of the breathing issue so I run away from accepting them, floating with them which is not how to recover. Any ideas?

I think you have half the battle by identifying it so well.

I had an issue with my breathing over the weekend and I knew it was mostly anxiety. So, I just stopped myself and said "OK. . .you know what this is. If you just sit here for 10 minutes and don't run from it, you'll feel better." I made myself sit where I was (in church) and it did pass just like I knew it should.

The ironic thing was that this breathing problem turned out to be caused by some reflux I'm having. But, because I initially panicked about the breathing I made it worse.

In the days after I was able to look at the symptom objectively and today go get something to help it.

It would be the same thing with a cold. You could accept that symptom as uncomfortable, but rely on your common sense to know that it would go away, however being slightly watchful for any problem that might need medical care (of course colds usually don't!)

Hello everyone. I am just starting week 4. However I have stretched the first 3 weeks out about two weeks apeice. At first I was doing phenomaly better. But now I have regressed. For starters, I am having a tough time trying not to focus on my breathing. When I think about breathing, I can't breath. So how do you stop thinking about breathing? Sometimes I just have to go to sleep. But that is difficult as well. There's that point when falling asleep when you are not quite asleep and not quite awake, (I call it the "in-between" state), where your breathing slows down and it scares me. Immediately I "jump" back to consciousness. So I have to keep telling myself "Everyone's breathing slows down when they fall asleep. It's supposed to."
So I analyze and worry thinking, "Will I be this way forever?" What a nightmare! Afraid to be awake and afraid to go to sleep. It's like there is no relief. I feel like I have been suffocating for days now. I know I just need to focus on something else. When I am at work I can breath again because I have forgotten about it. What I dread is Holidays and going home after work. On top of all of this, I have developed a chest cold making it vitually impossible to stop thinking about my breathing. I think, what if it is not a cold? what it is lung cancer?, bronchitus?, emphysema?, etc.
Does anyone have any advice?
Doug

Doug, I sent you a personal reply. See it in your personal email. But, hang in there. Read my email and let me know how you are doing. I am getting better...less breathing monitoring.